Press Release

For more information, contact: Sara Poe, The Strong, spoe@museumofplay.org

ROCHESTER, N.Y. – Calling all gamers! Join The Strong and Rochester Institute of Technology for Gaming for All: A Women in Games Celebration of Diversity in Games on Thursday, November 17 from 6pm – 9pm. This special evening of big-kid fun celebrates the untold contributions of women, people of color, differently-abled people, the LGBTQIA+ community, and other under-represented groups to the world of video games. Tickets for the event are $16 and include access to the full museum.

The evening begins with micro-talks in the Paychex Theatre by some of the industry’s most groundbreaking leaders including Beth Llewelyn, Principal & Co-Founder, Zebra Partners; Sydney Adams, senior game designer at Take-Two Interactive Software; Shannon Loftis, retired Xbox Team executive with Microsoft; Lauren Synger, Voice Actor, Voice Director, Singer, Songwriter; Jenny Xu, CEO Talofa Games; and Rebecca Heineman, CEO at Olde SKüül. Additionally, Jenn Hinton, associate director of Rochester’s own RIT MAGIC Center/MAGIC Spell studios will be providing insights throughout the event. The evening continues throughout the museum with “gamer” snacks, an exclusive offering of playable video games created by and/or inspired by underrepresented groups, live video-game-themed music from Glitch and playtime in the museum’s interactive exhibits! For those unable to join in-person, the moderated micro-talks and subsequent Q&A will be broadcast on Zoom.

“Women in Games is an important initiative we began at the Strong back in 2017,” says Lisa Feinstein, co-chair of the Women in Games initiative. “The mission of the initiative is really to inspire young people from all different backgrounds to learn from these trailblazers. Our hope is that they might gain a better understanding of careers available to them in the gaming industry.”

Another facet of this year’s celebration includes a luncheon at the museum earlier in the day on November 17 for college-aged students. Many of the women participating in the micro-talks on Thursday evening will be available to answer questions and talk about their careers in a smaller, more intimate setting. The event is aimed at students who are interested in video games, storytelling, art and music. Tickets for the luncheon are $35 and can be purchased on the museum’s website.

About The Strong

The Strong is a highly interactive, collections-based museum devoted to the history and exploration of play. It is one of the largest history museums in the United States and one of the leading museums serving families. The Strong houses the world’s largest and most comprehensive collection of historical materials related to play and is home to the International Center for the History of Electronic Games, the National Toy Hall of Fame, the World Video Game Hall of Fame, the Brian Sutton-Smith Library and Archives of Play, the Woodbury School, and the American Journal of Play. Together, these enable a multifaceted array of research, exhibition, and other interpretive and educational activities that serve a diverse audience of adults, families, children, students, teachers, scholars, collectors, and others around the globe.

About Women in Games Launched in 2017, The Strong’s Women in Games Initiative is guided by the overarching goal of inspiring girls, young women, and other under-represented people to confidently play games and pursue careers in the games industry. The Women in Games Initiative encompasses a world-class, one-a kind archival collection, onsite and online exhibits, a nationally recognized annual celebration of Women in Games, and other educational programming.